Post by Hakumei Shian on Mar 2, 2012 20:53:01 GMT -7
hakumei shian
[/color][/font]TWENTY || FEMALE || CHUUNIN || HOZUKI || KUMOGAKURE || STRAIGHT(-ISH)
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THERE ARE WORDS YOU COULDN'T HEAR, BUT THEY STAB YOUR HEART SO ENDLESSLY
AND FROM THE DEEPEST CUT A FLUID RUNS, IT BURNS UP EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH...
LET'S CALL IT LOVE.
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‘... I don't talk about myself a lot.’
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→ appearance |
Shian would describe herself as average, all things considering. Her face isn't particularly one of beauty compared to other women who bloom like flowers, as her skin gets dry during the cold seasons. She feels rather insecure about that and is constantly rubbing lotion onto any dry areas. Still, when she looks in the mirror she is somewhat aware that the person on the other side is a being she can tolerate, perhaps even accept. Her almond eyes hold different shades of amethyst, almost fractured from the events in the past. The hoodie she wears tends to be up, bunny ears sewn on the top flopping around in an attempt to obscure her emotions.
Shian's lavender hair is cut short, barely falling to meet the back of her neck. However, her fluffy side-bangs are extraordinarily long and almost meet her breasts. She keeps them together with circular metal hair-clips bought from a general store. Her body is slim border lining gaunt, as the chuunin's stomach is extremely sensitive and unused to eating a full meal (leading to her throwing up more often than not).
→ proper equipment |
Shian usually wears a large dark purple hoodie with bunny ears sewn onto it that Hiou gave her when they were little. Dark pink stripes run down each side of the hoodie. Although she cherishes the jacket, she has been known to take it off and wrap it around someone who's colder. Underneath she wears a strapless lavander dress a shade darker than her hair that barely stops at her thighs, the extra bits of sheer lace stopping just inches before her purple stockings. So there's a flash of innocent skin showing just before anything could be deemed inappropriate, though it's mostly accidental.
→ identifiers |
Although her hair color isn't common, she isn't the only one in the world who doesn't have it. The observant are able to point her out because of what she wears (her bunny jacket), or the peculiar way in which she fights. There are pale scars just below her hip-bone and shoulder-blades, but everyone has scars. It's not like she could say her 'bright' personality could provide any identification either... so the majority know her for being deaf-mute.
→ inventory |
- Twelve exploding tags, as well as four fakes.
- A Kumo headband hanging off one of her belt-straps like a keychain. The metal is roughed up, but it's obviously well-taken care of.
- Ten kunai.
- Ten shuriken.
- Fifteen needles.
- Five spools of wire.
- At the bottom of her pockets: a piece of a silver bracelet, a few stray wooden beads delicately carved, and a quarter of a ripped up letter. She has no idea how she got these things.
→ strengths |
- Is a sensory-type, and excels at her duties to the point where she can feel the subtle fluctuations as a person's speaking and even as their mood changes. Unless a stranger hides their chakra, she can also get a general idea on how powerful they are and what village they hail from. She can't hear what they're saying, but it does help prove someone's character when she knows whether someone's constantly speaking lies. Her range extends four and a half miles.
- Genjutsu.
- To a lesser extent, ninjutsu.
- Sneak attacks. If she must fight, she is most useful when the enemy doesn't know where she is.
- Nearly immune to any sound attacks, though she can still get blown away by shockwaves.
- Isn't extremely quick but has a better chance of landing combos due to how swiftly she layers attacks. Her fluent movements in battle gave her the nickname of Moon Rabbit. However after being hit several times, grace tends to be sacrificed for stealth.
- Shian has a very good long-term memory, and unfortunately for her co-workers, does remember everyone's schedule. If a loophole is there she can usually zero in on it quickly.
- Being underestimated.
→ weaknesses |
- Cannot speak.
- Hearing is heavily damaged, can't hear the sound of a wire trap or explosive. She can feel vibrations, but those often come just as the attack occurs (or seconds before). Or in most cases, not at all.
- Fūton.
- Kekkei genkai. They usually mean she should play on the defensive, make the fight end that very minute, or gtfo.
- Kumogakure. She gets odd flashbacks and remembers things she doesn't want to when she retraces her steps.
- Limited space.
- People who speak too quickly.
- Short-term memory is shot. She often doesn't remember faces or names because of the drug she took, but it serves as a comfort sometimes since she's better at improvising on missions anyway. Don't take her to any parties.
- Relaxing. How do people do it.
- Generally skittish and tense in most conversation sans work, and it doubles if that person is telling a big lie.
- Although she doesn't trust people easily, that doesn't mean she isn't roped into stupid ideas. Most use her as a doormat, since she will follow orders from the Hozuki leaders without question.
→ personality |
Clumsy. Not so much in her body movement, but with her words and how she uses them. If there's one thing Shian learned over time, it was that humans are very sensitive. Pleasing someone can be difficult, so she usually fumbles for the words people want to hear. She's not corrupt, but knows there are manipulative people out there so she tries to keep everyone happy as an acquaintance. Meanwhile, taking in the mood comes naturally. Looking at the person's feet and then their body language, she judges mostly on unconscious external behavior and what she senses. Misunderstandings are still common, for some reason.
As straight as the kunoichi would like her moral compass to be, it's a constantly wavering line. Black and white melts together sometimes more than she'd like it to, although she thinks she knows what's right (is it?). When the spotlight is pointed toward her, Shian gets bashful almost to the point of fear. Although she tries to be collected, she comes off as awkward and distant. Strangely, it helps her blend into the background flawlessly, which is fine since she has no desire to lead. She does like to observe, her fonder hobbies being pottery or fishing. It helps her construct profiles of everyone she meets.
Though silent, Shian tends to get along with the extremely young and old. Elders are usually experienced and understanding, kind of treating her more like a pet animal rather than someone suspicious. Usually children are open-minded and playful, which warms her. They can hold private tea parties until it's dark and never need to exchange a word. On the other hand, most of her co-workers find she's not too fun providing those her own age company. Paperwork is her constant companion since she doesn't really know how to behave except when directed by higher-ups. Most of the time it's just copying, but because she picks up the responsibility a lot of her comrades leave behind they often comment she'd make a good father, earning her dreaded nickname.
When the young woman is in control or struggling with it, everything is fairly stable. It would take a person with a quick wit and a lot of time on their hands to push her buttons. Even so, that situation has come about once in a while- and the results are always disastrous. Shian doesn't need words to let people know they've done wrong. When that occurs she almost acts like a different person, and there's no accommodating involved. If they wanted to sort their problems out it could've been without picking a fight... At that point, she becomes the type of selfish person she hates and would mercilessly slaughter anyone that gets in her way. Once it's done, she's remorseful and will even apologize. It's an uncontrollable part of her that may have been integrated in.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
‘Sorry... I can't go. I have work to do...’
→ likes |
Her mother and Hiou, cats, when a plan works out perfectly, novels where the absurdly smart and dashing detective solves the case, swooping, being teased (to a point), sparring with friends, sneaking up on people, Kirai, knowing where everything is all the time, long naps, her hoodie, anime paraphernalia that can fit into her hands, writing, organizing, secret handshakes, watching those around her, and heavy rain/snow.
→ dislikes |
Thunderstorms (because of the vibrations), disorder, strip clubs, watching couples make out, not being in control, having average abilities, a comrade's death, the fact Kumogakure got taken over twice, lies, not being allowed to help, people who don't check their spelling, chicken-scratch handwriting, being made fun of for being too conservative, perverts, not being able to remember anything anymore, drugs, faces she swears she's seen before, those who see her as different or disabled, the Akatsuki, gambling, that dead feeling when you're halfway through a pile of work on a Sunday, tears, picking up everyone's shit, being heard, batshit insane civilians, having to reason with said batshit insane civilians, fast-talkers, people calling her weak, fist-fights, losing her hair brush, and not knowing how to react.
→ romantic history |
Sukedachi Kirai | twenty | alive
To say they were in a 'relationship' would be grasping at straws when they had trouble just being friends. Shian tends to be attracted to outgoing people, although that's easily hidden with a thick layer of jealousy and spite. Kirai recognized that and egged her on while at the same time supporting the development of her own ideas and opinions, creating the complicated relationship they have now. They're both heterosexual. The closeness factor is just kinda... there. Nothing happened with it, nor does Shian expect anything to change in the future.
Hakumei Hiou | twenty | unknown
Again, not what a person would normally think when a romantic relationship comes to mind. However, Shian was dedicated to her brother to the beginning and relied on his encouragement to improve as a shinobi. She never liked it when other girls caught his eye, and always wanted to be by his side. She would and has sacrificed everything for him, because above all else, he is her very precious brother.
→ ideal partner |
She doesn't know. Shian can't imagine anyone liking her that way, as she can't provide material gain. If she had to pick, it would have to be someone like her brother or Kirai.
→ habits |
Shian tends to carry paperwork around with her wherever she goes, although she really doesn't have to since every document might as well be in flames since the Akatsuki took over. Still, it's what she's good at and she has a knack for multi-tasking. She also fiddles with the small silver watch on her right hand.
→ fears |
Loving someone so much she'd do something really dumb for them.
→ dreams |
Restoring Kumogakure to its former glory with completely honorable intentions, or at least living to see that day.
→ nightmares |
All past events. The fall of Kumogakure and flashbacks of what occurred with Hiou and the rest of her family.
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‘... I'm not bad, but I'm not talented at killing either.’
→ gear | Shian usually carries her spear strapped to her back, or carries it by hand.
→ fighting style |
As a general rule, Shian doesn't pick fights on a whim. She knows quite well where her limits are and can push them a bit, but no further. A life or death situation is not the place to train. Even while traveling, she always has her defense up. There is rarely ever a time she's not watching, keeping a nervous eye out for potentially aggressive chakra. If she has the chance to, she will flee to avoid any unnecessary confrontations the moment she senses something might go wrong (which half of the time is just her nerves). If she must fight Shian remains knowledgable of the enviorment, ready to use walls or foliage to counter-attack.
Her attacks are generally middle to long range and her ninjutsu is highly coordinated to work with her weapon of choice, meaning if she does an attack correctly the whiplash can knock down an enemy behind her. This makes her valuable when taking on large groups. The ace up her sleeve tends to be genjutsu. Although big fights show how successful she is at supporting tanks, she gets into trouble when enemies gang up on her all at once.
→ elemental nature |
Fūton and Doton.
→ chakra control level |
Shian is very good at controlling her chakra, but her preference for dodging sometimes leads her to underestimating an attack.
→ kekkei genkai | n/a.
→ kg mastery level | n/a.
→ overall abilities |
ninjutsu | 4/5
taijutsu | 3.5/5
genjutsu | 3.5/5
intelligence | 4/5
strength | 3/5
speed | 4/5
stamina | 2/5
hand seals | 3/5
Total: 27
→ mission stats |
A-rank: 1, B-rank: 38, C-rank: 32, D-rank: 23.
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‘... Memories are like small keys. You treasure them, or they get lost.’ [/center]
→ family |
Hakumei Antei | fifty-nine | father | dead
Hakumei Utsuro| fourty-seven | mother | dead
Hakumei Hiou | twenty | brother | unknown
→ friends |
Sukedachi Kirai | twenty | Hozuki
→ history |
The history of the Hakumei family was laughable, at best. Most of the other people who knew of them were vaguely amused and disgusted by their antics. Since they didn't have a kekkei genkai and were only good for tracking, a majority of the family settled with trying to get with every other clan in hopes of spreading diversity and becoming more powerful. However, it really wasn't that accurate considering most of the time any arranged marriages ended quite unhappily and only caused the bad reputation of their family to continue to spread. They were similar to cockroaches since no one wanted them around, but they were everywhere. When Shian was born on November 7th, Utsuro was pretty disappointed she popped out a daughter. A deaf and seriously ill one at that, seeing as the wrong genes were being passed on. Being raised from the Hakumei family, Utsuro knew what it was like to be pressured into a future she didn't want. Her brother Hiou, a year older, wouldn't know the feeling.
Shian was born into silence. When she was very young she realized there were people constantly moving around, and occasionally was all a dream. A woman stayed with her, held her and helped her eat. Sometimes the woman cried. Every so often she saw a little boy about her age. But everyone else speeded ahead, leaving her behind. Often she would be left by herself and she hobbled forward, toward the unknown and someone would always grab her. Somehow, she wondered what everyone was keeping from her. That place up or down the stairs, into the streets... what was it like? There were children outside playing so happily, and their lips often moved. She could almost feel the connection everyone had to one another, linked like wire cables. She couldn't penetrate that world and too many variables wouldn't allow her to. They looked at her with different eyes. There was something missing.
Most of Shian's early childhood was spent inside, with the rare visit to the hospital when she got serious ear infections. It was difficult for her to learn words when she first started, but after getting the hang of it she showed rapid improvement. Doors opened and she was relieved she had a way to reach out to that special place where everyone else was. The pain of being crushed under the stillness of her being lifted, breathing was finally possible after struggling just to be on the same page. It was almost freedom. The lady who stayed with her was her mother, mothers gave food and hugs that made you feel less alone. The little ghost she saw fleetingly was her brother. It was all so clear and she'd never considered it before. Those people she thought were strangers liked her, maybe even loved her.
The next couple of years were filled with new trials, and there was always something she didn't quite understand. Utsuro stayed with her and nudged her in the right direction when she got distracted. Along with writing, she also learned how to sign from one of the nurses. It was a challenge, and not everyone knew how to respond. Sign language was like a flag, something people noticed only to think 'how different'. Their brows furrowed, they shook their heads and their eyes often held pity or annoyance. There were also a couple of shinobi who would walk right past her, there was no time to see a child when their skills were needed elsewhere. Shian felt like she could almost grasp understanding. She could already faintly sense their chakra, and that they were bothered by her presence. There were still some spots in society that would remain untouched by her curious hands, and maybe it would always be that way. She still felt connected and warm, but the thought that the community was layers deep gave her a sour taste. Certainly if she was older she'd know why.
Everything got more confusing when she saw a big, muscular man visit Utsuro. She had to turn her head all the way up to see his scarred face, his shadow enveloping her entire body. He was so jagged and square too, he looked like a building. The man passed by her and spoke to Utsuro. Shian tilted her head, she'd never seen her mother's face so drawn in before. She was hiding her emotions under a mask of grown up-ness, and every so often her brow would arch in contemplation. When Shian caught her mother's eye she was quickly escorted out of the room. Shian stood outside of the door, feet turned in. When their talk was over Utsuro mentioned to Shian the scary old man was her father. She didn't quite remember him being around, so a part of her hoped maybe he was like mom. That was the last time she'd see him for a while.
In the meantime, Shian joined the academy with no difficulties. However on the first day of class she faltered. No mother to protect her. There were so many kids and they were all doing their own thing... she didn't know what she was supposed to do. No one approached her, and she was afraid of being rejected if she walked up to another kid, so she simply sat at the desk closest to the exit and drew. At that point, a boy approached her. It only took a second for her to realize it was Hiou, and she was so relieved he was there. They didn't exactly go together well since Shian couldn't read him and wasn't used to his inflections, and he didn't always have the time to write on a piece of paper she had to stop (normally he just tugged her along). He didn't share her enthusiasm, but they quickly established a relationship. No friends? No problem. As long as they had each other, it was better than being alone.
One day it dawned on her something important may have slipped out of her grasp. Hiou brought a harmonica to school. Shian watched the older boy puff out the little tool in confusion, and chased him around. As he cried after she accidentally pushed him, shoving his head against the door on the way down, she admired the object. When she blew into the holes, the pads of her fingers could feel the air coming out but it wasn't anything special. Even so, it made him happy. Why? Storm clouds loomed overhead after classes were dismissed, and suddenly everything rattled with the power of monsters she'd only read about in books. The entire world was breaking apart. Something guttural tore from her throat, and in seconds Hiou was there with his scrawny arms wrapped around her. He was trying to keep them both together as Utsuro rushed the pair inside, surprised to hear that Shian had screamed. It was the first big thunder storm of the season. The three of them huddled together and watched the lightning flashed outside the window, Utsuro stroking their heads when a particularly loud one hit close by and caused the earth itself to tremble. As a mother, she was ashamed she didn't start earlier. The couple mostly hoped and prayed their child would get better and someday hear but they never reached out to her. They didn't want to acknowledge they created another possible failure, so Antei kept to one side of the house and she on the other. That night she tried to explain in detail what sound was. What music was. How its melodies caused Hiou dance, and made father less angry. It could kill people too. Her words eluded Shian, she couldn't miss what she never knew, but settled with the usual 'you'll learn when you're older'. Would she?
Hiou was a pretty good older brother, if not a bit pompous. Even though they were still so small, she felt like he towered above her with all of the grandeur of a sibling that wasn't afraid to get dad's favorite shoes wet and smush cockroaches. He began working on making his chicken-scratch handwriting a bit more clear to read; he memorized a few secret handsigns they made up together to be the equivalent of those bad words the other kids at school knew. When they were assigned into teams, Shian was very hesitant to be seperated from Hiou. She was just thirteen and she liked being known as his little sister, it was better than being called that deaf girl. He held her hand until he had to go with his own instructor, and even then he still almost tripped because he was too busy watching over her. The rest of the children laughed but Shian knew he cared, it didn't matter if he made new friends or held a girl's hand (which was totally ew back then). Hiou wouldn't change, she knew when she saw his teacher's smirk that everyone else saw what she did. He was a knight in clunky armor.
Shian's instructor was a jounin was a tall woman with golden plaits of hair and vibrant blue eyes. She wore a silky, crimson dress that told Shian a little too much about her in comparison to her plain, gentle mother. As she caught a glimpse of the woman called Ayari, she noticed her new teacher's fighting style. She didn't aim to overwhelm her opponent, nor challenge him to a fair battle of wills. She hid like a chameleon, and by the time Shian sensed her chakra she was already prodding their throats with her middle and index finger. When the rest of her teammates arrived she examined each of them. The one who stood out to her the most was a girl who had her hair pulled into shimmery ponytails, Sukedachi Kirai. Rather than getting along immediately, the exact opposite occurred: they got into a fight. Kirai hated how Shian had to sign or write out what she was saying, why couldn't she just be a normal person? She would be a liability in battle, no one really wanted her to become a shinobi. Shian could feel the waves of chakra emanating from from the other girl. Disgust. Hate. There was little she could do about the way she was other than wishing she'd been born differently. Yet for Kirai who looked at her so condescendingly, she would never apologize.
After several missions it was clear that their grudge ran deeper than just a little spat, and neither was simply going to move on and forget. Each wanted the other to give in first. Eventually even Ayari gave in and let them have the fight they so desperately wanted, knowing it wouldn't effect their output the next day... it might even help. They made a good team, but any sort of communication held painful jabs below the surface. The day before their first C-rank mission, they both met at dusk at the training grounds. Kirai smirked, brandishing her kusarigama. By using chakra she could move the chains attached to the sickle to where she desired. Shian knew she couldn't get too close, and instead tried to manipulate Kirai into stopping her attacks for a split second. What happened instead surprised the both of them. Kirai thought for a brief second she would win when Shian had been yanked by the chain to come closer, and readied her blade. However by pure stroke of luck Shian managed to narrowly dodge the killing blow aimed at her throat, instead hitting her shoulder. Kirai was surprised to discover while Shian had been around when she'd been training with Ayari on taijutsu and minor raiton use, she seemed to be trying for another release they hadn't trained for yet. However, it could be because of that Shian herself didn't even recognize it. The pressure of the fight made her want to try and thin her chakra out as much as possible, vying to get faster and somehow beat Kirai into the dust. It could hardly be called a mastered skill, or even something controllable. Shian wanted to run past Kirai to land a side-blow and maybe one to her back, but only managed to awkwardly headbutt her to the ground. Limbs tangled together, bruises against cuts. They still didn't like each other. But laying in the middle of that field in the dark of night with the chain mangled between them, the pair came to a reluctant truce.
After that, Kirai and Shian began building a weird kind of friendship. They still had disagreements, but Kirai wanted to reach out and talk to her to fine-tune some taijutsu. In turn Shian opened up and became willing to compromise, admitting she was wrong on many things but strived for improvement on her ninjutsu and tracking. It was decided by Ayari because of their sudden improvement, entering the chuunin exams that year could become a possibility if they kept working hard. Shian tried to keep improving at the expense of her health and time at home with Hiou. Her brother was still very important to her, but even he would agree that they had to sacrifice relaxing together to get better. Every day she would see Hiou come home half-dead and be in a similar state herself. Within a couple months, they both had different groups of friends within their teams and began to drift apart. Every time her eyes would meet his, Hiou would always look away first. Shian was troubled by this. They hadn't changed into different people, so what was wrong?
The first two stages of the chuunin exams were relatively easy for Shian. It was because she honed her speed and sensory abilities that she could move soundlessly to the other genin teams, and strike when they were distracted by her genjutsu. Even when she was endangered Kirai would rush to save her from various traps. The amount of trust and teamwork they shared allowed them to easily double-team anyone who attacked them. However in the second stage their third comrade, who placed no trust in them, was killed. In the one-on-one fights, Shian lost after one fight due to the fact the other genin was also a futon user and forced her to fight close range. Shian still proved herself to be an extremely capable shinobi and became a chuunin. Shortly afterward Shian was sent with Kirai, also a chuunin, on a couple B-rank missions to Yukigakure. Several long months passed before they were able to return home. Shian had turned fourteen and started learning how to use doton, but was eagerly waiting to hear her mother's reaction. She had also been assigned as the Raikage's head secretary, and was supposed to start working there the next day.
When Shian unlocked the door to her house and opened the door, she immediately noticed the dead silence hanging in the air. She assumed Utsuro would've been waiting for her, or at least her brother would have been home to welcome her back. Instead she found the first floor completely barren. No notes saying anyone had gone to the store either. Father wasn't home, but that really wasn't a surprise anymore. Shian went upstairs, and down the hallway could see her mom's door had been closed. She already knew that no one was there either, there wasn't a trace of any of her family's chakra. But it was strange, Utsuro always left the door to her room open so in case Hiou got a scraped knee or Shian needed someone to talk to, she would always welcome them. She would be there for them. Shian twisted the knob and opened the door. The first thing she noticed was how humid her mother's room smelled. Her eyes moved upward. Suspended on a rope, feet dangling, was a corpse that had been rotting for several days. Utsuro had been tired of the mockery that came with the Hakumei name, and when Shian became chuunin and Hiou a jounin, the sneers doubled. What would they accomplish, so ordinary and pathetic? Utsuro was also dimly aware that her husband was seeing another woman. So that was it. No one was curious about the strange smell coming from their house, nobody was concerned. Most oftheir relatives figured it was about time. Shian, at fourteen years old, cut her mother from the rope and buried her.
For Shian, waiting for her brother (or anyone) to come home felt like a rubber band. The time kept stretching on and on until she was sure something was going to end up ripping in half. As soon as she sensed his chakra outside the door she ran into the hallway to greet him. She didn't expect to see him gripping his favorite trench knife, or that it would be covered in crimson, globs of flesh dripping off like syrup. There was too much on him for it to just be his. She didn't have time to question what he did, and a part of her didn't even want to know. Without a word, the little sister escorted the older brother into the bathroom. Shian helped undress him and scrub the blood off. She brushed his hair and let it dry. In a weird way it reminded her of when they used to have to shower together as kids, and he always looked out for her by making sure there was no shampoo in her eyes. Kirai and Ayari-sensei were important people, but there was never a time when she wasn't thinking of Hiou. He was a constant in her mind, even when they had been ignoring each other. Kirai called it a brother complex, and insisted if she held that kind of attraction toward him that fracturing his legs permenantly would allow, or force, Hiou to be by her side forever. It was an offer Shian naturally declined. She didn't have to worry about that. They'd stay together, that was what siblings did. Yet while she watched Hiou clean his knife off and burn his clothes, doubts began to form. When his lips finally moved, Shian could sense a whirlwind of emotions coming off him. He felt depression was coming off him like a constant stream, the wind could go through him and he wouldn't feel its touch.
The brother began to write. He had been traveling to complete a mission in Kusagakure when he met a young woman with sandy blonde hair named Niyoku. He was immediately attracted to her pride and charm. She was a rather haughty girl coming from a rich family, and as a child she had been given almost anything she'd ever wanted. Except, because she was locked inside so often she had no friends. Hiou was of a simple family that didn't have much. He could give her a material item as a token of affection, but then she'd just look at him as another person to be used. So in between assassinating small-town political figures, he would stop by each day to talk to her. When she finally reciprocated his feelings he realized that she was a civilian. Their father had told him specifically that he was only to marry someone with a special kekkei genkai, to allow the family to become more diverse. That wasn't going to work out. Even when he returned to Kumogakure and begged Antei, he still wouldn't support any sort of relationship with Niyoku. Worse, he had found out Antei had placed a bounty on her head: but only if she was killed first. Frustrated, he ran home to try and talk some sense into their mother. Hiou had found her body first, along with her suicide note which implicated Antei heavily for not taking their marriage seriously. As his body convulsed with anger, he grabbed his trench knife and waited for nightfall. Although it was almost pitch black, it was impossible to escape the scene without being spotted... but the chuunin that were patrolling only spotted his purple hair and the knife. Even so, they would be coming around soon to search for him.
As far as Shian's mental stability was concerned, she wasn't doing a great job after he explained everything. Utsuro was dead, she and Hiou had walked in on her suicide... and her beloved, impulsive brother had just killed their father. At that moment, there were also people looking for him. If they found him Hiou would most certainly be imprisoned, tortured for information, and then killed. They had been a family of four, or at least three. There was no specific moment where she could note, yes, that was where it all went wrong. She thought of that thunder storm, when their mother's presence was enough to soothe their fears of the beasts that made the earth shake and they were all innocent. Maybe if she had done things differently, the outcome would've changed... The person who loved her and had no regrets giving birth to such a child, regardless of any abnormalities, had her bloated body with the tissue and hair coming apart dumped into the ground. As the seconds passed, only one thought remained in her head.
Taking the handle dried with their father's blood from her brother, she hugged him. It had been a while since she'd truly felt his arms around her, although trembling and frozen. He had to leave. She could feel the chakra of several people climbing through the second floor. Walking him to the door, Shian wrote to him how she hoped he would find the girl he was looking for and leave for a different village, maybe then they would be happy. The vicious circle of hate in their family had to stop somewhere, right? It was fun while it lasted and after protecting her so many times when they were kids, it was the least she could do. Hiou never looked at her once. He left as Shian tied her shoulder-length hair back into a low ponytail and put on the jacket he wore when he came home. Even when they found her and electrocuted her to the point where her heart nearly stopped before dragging her to the prison and tossing her into a cell, the chuunin felt like it would be fine to let things pan out from there. She slipped into darkness.
The next time Shian opened her eyes, she found herself staring at a familiar ceiling. It was the room she shared with Hiou up until they were put in seperate teams. Since then she'd often find him sleeping there the next morning, but he never went to bed early. It seemed like her presence bothered him. As she sat up, the stinging in her muscles and frantic heartbeats indicated something wasn't right. Shian moved down the hallway with slow, steady steps. She passed her mother's body still hanging there (but she buried her), and went downstairs. In the living-room she could smell the fresh blood. Hiou was there (hadn't he left?) stripping the flesh off their father like a pig (wasn't he dead?). Her brother looked at her and smiled, wrapping his arms around her... somehow she could feel the relief coming off him in waves. There. They wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore.
Liar. Shian smiled back grimly, slowly taking his trench knife from him. In their embrace, she leaned up to peck his cheek. As she did so the blade swiftly pierced the back of his neck, aimed at the spinal cord. If she'd found him she would've given him a quick death. The same couldn't be said for anyone else. Dropping the knife, she chomped down onto her left arm like it was food. A flash of pain, but the illusion was still there... she looked down and saw her brother's vacant eyes staring up at her. More. Shian bit down harder until she could feel her teeth slam against bone. The genjutsu scattered like she'd broken a window, slivers of glass raining down. The chuunin stared up at steel bars painted with seals, a few people standing just outside. That was more like it. As the blood poured from her left arm, she recognized Ayari-sensei hidden in the shade, though her arms were bound and she hadn't the strength to write. It had been dark, Shian realized as her eyes had to adjust to the slight flicker of a lightbulb. She could feel the concern and sadness Ayari felt mixed with some betrayal. Shian wondered which one of them betrayed each other, because she could tell although the other guards were jounin it seemed likely most of them worked under her. Using her raiton chakra to keep the bulb temporarily lit, Ayari adjusted the light so Shian could lip-read. They had to talk, or more precisely, Ayari would talk and Shian would have to understand. When the teacher had been told one of her students had been caught comitting a felony, she couldn't believe it and rushed to the prison right away.
The truth was, missing-nin were becoming somewhat of a concern. Well, they were always a problem. Every country recognized that. They were a pain to track down and then if they went to other countries it got international and that was really messy. Messy equalled bad, especially since the tension was pretty high to begin with. If they could find the missing-nin and re-convert them under specific circumstances, that would be a step forward, even if it was a controlled experiment at least there was a way. It was a long shot, but the Raikage seemed interested if the possibility was even there. It would be eliminating anyone who dared to waltz out with valuable details, and send them right back into the good fight. That way, it didn't matter if they died on a mission or kept working. It was good for everyone, in theory. The truth was they had retrieved a rare plant made into a powerful drug called Extase (which she discovered much later that Kurai tipped them off in their early stages) which somehow affected memory. After a while they formed a reasonable plan to 'condition' a subject with several of their best genjutsu specialists combined with Extase, profiling their most harmless candidate to be a new criminal testing the waters. They just needed someone idiotic enough to commit a crime right there and get caught by Kumogakure jounin.
Three jounin stepped forward, attempting to put her under with more genjutsu. Knees shaking, watching them all look down on her like she deserved it felt wrong. They were surely going to do more than conditioning, they wanted to see how far they could go with this and there was no way she would let them think about going after Hiou. Even as they overlayed genjutsu after genjutsu and she could feel the electricity carving its way down her back and to her feet, she didn't want to disappear so quickly. Even when the only person who could even see something might've been wrong was her utterly jaded and manic teammate, slipping into the abyss once more, she hoped. Accepting Hiou's burden was a small crime. In Shian's own way, she had really tried to live each day as well as she could with her meager abilities. It was impossible; she didn't understand how everything managed to fuck itself over... life was really confusing, huh. Maybe it would be better to just give up.
The crack of the wooden door down the hallway got her attention as her vision faded, Ayari and the others rushing toward the intruder weapons drawn. She could feel the vibrations of the ninjutsu they were firing off, though most taijutsu was nullified with a kusarigama. The rush of familiar chakra made Shian struggle to stay awake, using willpower and her own experience with genjutsu to counter. Kirai swung her blade at Ayari again, their teacher easily dodging to deliver several blows on her throat and stomach that would put a normal person out of commission- permenantly. Kirai staggered, giving the others the opprotunity to escort her off the premises.
Her mouth opened, and in that moment Shian regretted not being able to hear. Sometimes she felt sad about it when she wanted to imagine how her mother's voice sounded, or Hiou's when he laughed. But watching the angry tears run down her friend's cheeks, walls shaking from the intensity of her shouts forced her to believe. Whatever she was saying, she needed to understand. Ayari and the others would never tell her, but Shian already knew. Kirai was aware of the dedication she held to her damn family. There was no way she'd kill any of them, the authorities couldn't claim to know her best friend more than she did. Shian's eyelids drooped as she entered a painful slumber, chest burning. Someone had been worried enough to check on her and track her here.
It was enough. Shian could face this being fulfilled.
The jounin who theorized about Extase's abilities were right, to a certain point. Given the correct settings, it could cause weak retrograde amnesia combined with being under several genjutsu and electric shock. She was conditioned to become a lone assassin who would remain eternally loyal to Kumogakure. However, Shian struggled for so long it was hard to determine whether the effect was caused by the drug entirely, or if she chose to forget willingly after three years of being under heavy observation. This study was only interrupted when Kurai finally gained enough power to capture Tsunade, and the other countries knew that they had to put other plans aside and focus on that foreign enemy. But she knew. Shian never passed out for long. The entire time, she knew it was genjutsu and she stayed awake, clawing at the illusion that was slowly sucking her dry until she let herself fade. When the chuunin woke up, she found herself at the edge of chaos. Her hair was long and ragged, and it took a while for her to stand herself up onto her feet. The other prisoners were on their feet too, yelling like crazed animals. Many had killed themselves by bashing their heads against the concrete walls, skull pieces scattered through the room. They too were being killed slowly as the blood above ground started to seep in. The outside world was too busy fighting Kurai and the Fumetsuhi from a near take-over, and unintentionally began starving their criminals to death. Putting her hand to her chest, she could run an index finger down her stomach and feel it bump each rib like a xylophone. It was a close call... but she couldn't quite remember what she'd been so close to. How she ended up here eluded her as well, but the guilt that stayed knotted at the bottom of her stomach never disappeared. Whatever had occurred, her gut feeling said it was all hopeless. Shian wiped her eyes, glancing down the hall.
A young woman in pigtails gazed back. Her face had matured considerably, dark circles under her eyes. The slit throat of a guard in the hallway drew her attention, but it was gone when the blonde covered her hand with hers. A younger version of Kirai crying out to her flashed beneath her eyelids. Her friend smiled faintly, taking the keys to unlock her cell. The jounin was sorry, sorry for breaking in before in pure anger and hated herself for leaving Shian to die. The only wall between them disappeared, and Kirai grabbed her hand. For a brief moment, everything pieced itself together and she never wanted to let go. But it couldn't stay that way. There was a reason Kirai was there, and they barely escaped with their lives as the Fumetsuhi overran the village. The world above was being rocked to its core, and even Kumogakure was beginning to fracture and break. A group called the Hozuki had been created recently to bring order back, joining was the least they could do now. There was no other purpose in their lives when their honor relied so heavily on being a true shinobi.
The next two years were a long uphill struggle, with no results to show for it. The pair were allowed to join with minimal disagreement, and Shian was given two special owl summons as a welcoming gift. While Kirai and Shian tried to support the Hozuki to the best of their efforts, it took all of their strength to keep from breaking. The stress was seen on their other comrades' faces too. Too many important faces died when the hierarchy fell and the Hozuki base exploded. It didn't make it a battle of what was merely right and wrong to return everything the way it was. They would not allow Kurai or the Akatsuki to maintain their rule forever, not when there were ghosts in the past who were silently reaping for vengeance. Even when they were no longer considered a threat after Haruno Sakura was captured, Shian kept tabs on several different Kurai bases, mapping out every flicker of chakra. Training constantly becane a must to be ready for anything the gangs threw their way. She and Kurai grew apart after a silent pact was made to not talk about the prison break. They were now pawns on this large game-board, and Shian knew she'd be prepared to give her life for the cause.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
‘... It was nice seeing you. Let's meet again.’
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→ did you read the rules? | SAKURA IS THE MASTER COMMANDER, yessir.
→ timezone | Eastern Standard Time.
→ rp sample |
Thunk.
The heavy vibrations of several packets binded together hitting a desk wasn't new for Shian, but for once it wasn't hers. The chuunin frowned, brows slightly knit together as she leaned forward to look at her new comrade's work space. It had barely been touched, just wiped down from a person passing by. The lavander-haired girl looked at her watch, adjusting the plain accessory in the light. She couldn't hear the familiar ticks most people could, but that didn't mean she wasn't keeping track. She couldn't help but sigh at the ever-dawning realization that no matter how skilled anybody was in battle, never turning paperwork in on time was a trait everyone shared. There was no exception.
To top it off, the additional secretary was nearly ten minutes late by the time he calmly sauntered through the door. Her hand quickly cupped her nose as he introduced himself. He reeked of alcohol and other awful smells. Her hands moved in a blur of handsigns before even responding to whatever he said. The new guy's eyes widened. Was she going to attack him right here? This weird girl with a child's jacket. Words seemed to form from air in front of her, as Shian smiled warily.
'Hello...'
It's nice to meet you, her index finger wanted to add. Except, it wasn't. The kid looked like he was lucky to be awake at this hour, nevermind sober. No one wanted to be the one stuck with this job. It wouldn't be trouble to straighten out some new chuunin who did things half-assed, would it? He had potential, that's what they all said before pushing another her way. An emptiness settled in the pit of her stomach. Going easy on him wouldn't be possible. Her fingertips brushed the desk gently, smoothly turning back to him so her violet eyes would meet his.
'I'm sorry, but you're late... If you could refrain from that in the future, it would be helpful for us both. This will be your desk.' Shian patted the wooden desk for emphesis, making sure she could feel it rattle before continuing 'And what I just put on your desk are all the packets I made on running the secretary desks in the Raikage's tower... Handling mail, appointments, bills, documents, formal attire, bombs, etiquette, daily visits, robberies, food, etc.. If you have any questions don't be afraid to ask.'
As his face turned a lovely shade of grey, she collected a few packets and offered them to him. 'I expect you to be completely awake and sober tomorrow, and that you'll know how to handle everything completely on your own by the end of the week... I hope that isn't a problem.'
"Y-yes!" She couldn't tell from his tone, but his wide eyes and sweaty palms indicated fatigue. That was good, hopefully it would flush the hangover right out of him. It had been years since the last time she'd had a drink, and back then it wasn't even something strong. A very fine wine that sat on the end of her tongue and tasted not-quite-sweet. Even reaching in the back of her memories, she couldn't recall the name. Pity. Her chest throbbed knowingly, watching his lips move. She could feel his discomfort spike, waves of nausea hitting her in a familiar pattern. If that was how much she stressed him out, he could just...
'... I'm sorry for keeping you.' Shian tried to wave him off, chewing on her lower lip. If he disliked her, and by his chakra making small spikes he certainly did, it would be torture to make him stay. She couldn't be that mean. There was paperwork to do and forms to fill out and she didn't want to leave a bad impression... 'I can do everything today. Please just come back tomorrow.'
Shian opened her eyes to a cold breeze penetrating her tent. The dream faded from her mind almost too quickly when she questioned what there was to be sad about. Weren't dreams always like that? The chuunin got up and folded her sheets, trying not to think of the life she had before. Breakfast, then doing whatever the leader asked of her.
Another day.
(I'm sorry this is so bad. t_t)
